why do turtles park themselves in the road?

dmmj

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They do it for one simple reason. They like to watch those silly human researchers drive themselves crazy trying to figure out why they do it
 

Loohan

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They do it for one simple reason. They like to watch those silly human researchers drive themselves crazy trying to figure out why they do it

Once again i underestimated how cunning they are. They just know how to act clueless to evoke our sympathy and get us to stop and carry them across the road.
 

dmmj

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Once again i underestimated how cunning they are. They just know how to act clueless to evoke our sympathy and get us to stop and carry them across the road.
Why walk? When you can get your silly human slaves to carry you
 

Sleppo

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I’ve rescued quite a few turtles off the road most were snapping turtles. A few summers ago I came across a huge prehistoric looking snapper, he was missing an eye and looked like he’d seem some stuff in his day. Let me tell you this creature was nasty, cars were driving over him (straddling him) and he would lunge up at them as they passed over. I was worried how’d I move him, all it took was him coming after me. He gladly chased me off the roadway. It was probably comical to watch, I just yelled at him to stop being an A$&hole the entire time.
 

dmmj

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I’ve rescued quite a few turtles off the road most were snapping turtles. A few summers ago I came across a huge prehistoric looking snapper, he was missing an eye and looked like he’d seem some stuff in his day. Let me tell you this creature was nasty, cars were driving over him (straddling him) and he would lunge up at them as they passed over. I was worried how’d I move him, all it took was him coming after me. He gladly chased me off the roadway. It was probably comical to watch, I just yelled at him to stop being an A$&hole the entire time.
I have never known a snapper to be reasonable they are totally immune to logic :)
 

Loohan

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Maybe it's simply that turtles have to be SOMEWHERE, and that actually there is a comparable concentration OFF the road that we don't see? Still does not explain why they expose themselves unnecessarily to predators though. Stupidity?

Anyway, this is the time of year i start seeing them. In the past week i have seen several on the road to town. Not on warm asphalt usually, but on wet gravel/dirt on totally overcast days.

Most of these have been little guys! Normally in the past i have mostly seen larger ones, but several of these i would estimate to be 3-6 years old. Must have been some successful breeding going on in recent years.
 

MichaelL

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I wonder if maybe they just like being on open, flat ground sometimes? Because it can be seen in your examples that it wasn't to warm up, wasn't because they're scared of vehicles... Maybe after being in cover for so long they like to stay in the open, possibly finding food there too.
 

Loohan

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Doubt there's any food in the road. I never see them eating. Usually they just sit there.
Saw an adult a while ago walking across my property.
 
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